James Agee was short for this world, having died in his mid 40s. In that span of time he wrote a famous book, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, and a couple of classic screenplays, AFRICAN QUEEN and NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. This collection of magazine film reviews and essays is in many ways the leftover part of his work, and yet it feels like enough to make a reputation on. His reviews span just one decade, the 1940s. Many of them tackle foreign films that may be unavailable for all I know.

Interesting to me is that he spends three weeks discussing Chaplin's MONSIEUR VERDOUX, which is a most unusual movie and mostly forgotten today. This might be because he saw it as his only chance to write a poignant piece on the greatest living film artist, or it may be because he identified with the plight of mankind theme that Chaplin was reaching for. You can pick another reason, yourself, but it was a bold decision, because most critics panned the film (according to him) and most readers probably couldn't even see the movie in their small towns. It was as if he knew he would be writing for posterity. Like all critics, he cultivated his darlings. He saw much in the work of John Huston and was very skillful in his sizing up of TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE. I was impressed that he predicted the all-time classic nature of the film, but also understood the studio system gimmicks that took away from the genius.

You don't have to be literary minded like W. H. Auden to enjoy this book. You'll like it, if you like movies.

Ever wonder what causes a movie reviewer to *become* a movie reviewer? When I was a ten-year-old kid just getting into classic movie comedies, I went to the library and checked out the book AGEE ON FILM solely because it had references to Charlie Chaplin and W.C. Fields. Thus was my introduction to high-quality film criticism.

James Agee made his reputation writing sterling movie reviews for Time and The Nation magazines in the 1940's. Among other glories, he wrote a much-heralded essay titled "Comedy's Greatest Era" that helped to bring silent-comedy icons (most notably Harry Langdon) out of mothballs and caused them to be re-viewed and discussed seriously among film historians. He later went on to work on the screenplays of a couple of gems titled The African Queen and Night of the Hunter.

Unfortunately, many people who regard the critics Pauline Kael and Stanley Kauffmann have either forgotten Agee's work entirely or have assigned his own work to mothballs. But among the faithful are film director Martin Scorsese, who serves as editor of the "Modern Library: The Movies" series of film books. The series has recently reissued the AGEE ON FILM book, and re-reading Agee's work (or reading it for the first time, if you're lucky enough) proves that film criticism can make for reading material as compelling as any fictional novel.

Agee passes the acid test for any film critic: Even if you don't agree with him, his writing is so lively that you can't help enjoying it. His work ranges from three separate columns (three weeks' worth, in print terms) to Chaplin's much-maligned (at the time) MONSIEUR VERDOUX, to the most concise, funniest review ever: Reviewing a musical potboiler titled YOU WERE MEANT FOR ME, Agee replied in four simple words, "That's what *you* think."

If you want to see what high-caliber movie criticism meant in the pre-Siskel & Ebert days, engross yourself in this sprawling book. It'll make you appreciate the decades before every newspaper, newsletter, and Internet site had its own minor-league deconstructionist of Hollywood blockbusters.

James Agee wrote film criticism in America at a time when the American film industry hardly deserved his attention. His celebrations of silent film comedy, of Preston Sturges, of John Huston [for whom he later wrote the script for The African Queen], and of the handful of worthy foreign films that he managed to see are what make this volume worth reading. Besides Agee's beautiful prose and above all his compassion. Interestingly, Agee was a fan of Frank Capra's comedies (It Happened One Night) and bemoaned the director's decent into serious social films (Mr Smith Goes To Washington, Meet John Doe). His negative review of It's a Wonderful Life, which has never been in print since it appeared in 1946, reveals the extent to which Agee was perhaps too far ahead of his time, and even of ours.

When my husband died he left me a three-ring notebook which we had labled the emergency book as it contained all the pertinent information about our financial, insurance, tax, etc. situations including the location of necessary documents such as wills to help settle the estate. This book is comparable and would help anyone become better organized to deal with daily and unexpected situations. With the three ring capability pages can be added that would personalize it to your special needs. sms

A wonderful tool. This book has helped my family more than I can say. I highly recomend it.

I bought this guide for myself, then my mother was diagnosed with cancer and passed away within seven months. The workbook pages really helped me to know what questions to bring up with her. It saved a lot of time and aggravation after she passed away when I wasn't emotionally able to handle tough decisions. There are so many extra tips in this workbook; it is helpful even if you are going on vacation and someone needs to housesit. This workbook is helpful if you're 25 or 75. I highly recommend it.

Of corse all Taoists in America and Europe are influanced or affected by Christianity... it is woven into the fabric of our society. This is why is is good for a Taoist to read this book. It will bring him/her some "comfort" with regard to Christianity, and help them to understand the nature of Jesus, thus, understand more about their Christian neighbor.

"Liberal" Christians will probably enjoy this book as well... and may even begin to regard Lao Tzu as a bit of a prophet :)
I would recomend it as a gift from Taoist to Chrisian or Christian to Taoist.... NOT as a "conversion" tool, but as a tool for mutual understanding.

Although I enjoyed seeing the parallels... I thought that some of the sayings did not really match very well as far as their actual meanings, also I was suprised by some of the verses that were *not* included... there are some better verses that show the simular intents of Lau Tzu and Jesus than some of the ones chosen by the Author.
One might do better to read the Tao Te Ching and the "words in red" of the new testiment for his/herself! However, if you can't be bothered to do that, this book is a nice quick referance and a nice teaching tool.

I wish there was a Lao Tzu and Muhammad book.. I'd like to see what would be made of that! :)

I strongly recommend this book to those who are interested in
or involved with Christian, Jewish, and/or Tao outlooks.

The author and editor take the position that Jesus and Lao Tzu
represented 2 separate philosophical disciplines that branched
from the same originating river (GOD). This is,to my way of
thinking, quite extraordinary,considering the vast differences
of East and West histories and cultures, and communication.

It's too bad that this book is not in more people's hands

(and lives!). You get 3 basic things from the book:

1) An excellent overview of Jesus' and Lao Tzu's teachings,
and how they relected on each others', as presented
in the preface.

2) A breakdown of all the teachings into 9 catagories;
1 catagory per chapter. Each chapter comprises many paired
quotes from each teacher; you be the judge to just how similar
they are to each other.

3) A Commentary section following the 9 chapters/topics
that is well worth having all by itself. Tremendous insight,
backed up by the referred to precious chapters.

If all the above isn't enough, and it is, the binding
ends with a fine list of recommended books for furthur
study.

Again, if you are a serious Jew, Christian or Taoist
(or seeker of deeper meaning in life) I think you should
have this as one of your key reference books.

P.S. Jesus' sayings in the book are just Jesus' sayings
alone, not mixed up with what disciples and clergy added
to the Gospel from their vantage points.

The 3rd book in the "Parallel Sayings" series tackles the greatest differences yet between 2 religious 'founders': Lao Tzu, the enigmatic hermit who preached to no one and actually wrote his own legacy (Tao Te Ching) at a gatekeeper's request before disappearing from society and Jesus, whose parables of love and social reform were recorded in the Gospels and have converted about 1/3 of the world's poplulation 2 millenia later.

This book deviates from the first two by including short commentiaries on each of the parallel sayings in the back of the book. The commentaries add something and I think that including, at the very least, historical backround and some additional context for the sayings gives some perspective which will hopefully be adopted in later books.
Highly recommended!

You definitely want to have this book. It's physically easy to carry in your coat pocket, its concise, and very useful. The map is okay but you will need a more detailed map like "Streetwise
London". Otherwise, I would have given it 5 stars.

Another popular guide aimed at budget travellers with detailed information on London hotels, sights and restaurants. Also has ideas for day trips and information on Paris for a weekend trip from London.

If there were more stars available I'd give it all there were. We referred to this as 'The Bible" because of the tube map alone.

1/3 of this book - the starhopping section - is excellent. Just the right amount of commentary and detail for intermediate observational astronomy. The maps are also very good. Here's the problem: Only 1/2 of the sky is covered in the starhopping section! Why go halfway? A good number of interesting regions aren't covered at all. Instead, they clutter up the first 2/3 of the book with the usual info about types of telescope, stars, pictures of planets, etc. We've read and seen this before. Any library book tells you the same stuff. Use the pages to cover ALL regions of the sky. It's really a shame.

Another problem is the hardcover format, which makes the book difficult for field use. It's thin and tall, which doesn't help it to stay open. A spiral bound version would be better.

Time was, the Nature Store was everywhere in Canada, and you could depend on them for just the right Xmas gift or whatever. That's gone now, but they left the excellent Nature Company Guides behind.

This is the book of those who have gone beyond "the stars are up there" stage but aren't at the Hawking level yet. I loved the crispy photos and the straight from the shoulder directions (not pretentious or dumb). I recommend it highly if you want something with a little more meat to it.

This book is very helpful, even if you are just an amiture astronomer like me. This book tells you how to navigate through the Heavens. It tells you what stars you can see, the dates that you can see them, even the times that you cansee them. This book tells you what to look for when buying a telescope, how to spot a trash scope, and what types are good to purchase for your needs. This book tells about anything that you need to know, from nebulas and double stars, to planets and black holes. Advanced Skywatching tells you almost anything you want to know. This is a book that no astronomer, begining, advanced, or professional, should be without.

In this collection of greatest hits by Swinging London plankholder David Bailey, we get:

Celebrities of the time, including pop artists, pop intellectuals, TV presenters, English film stars, and the emerging British rock glitterati. Of these last Mick Jagger appears the most frequently, evolving from A Portrait Of A Famous Person Taken By David Bailey to the most notorious man in show business by the end of the decade. A close second is fading golden boy Brian Jones. Among the more conventional celebs are Terence Stamp, Michael Caine, and Peter Sellers. Stamp is so young and unformed here that it is hard to recognize him at first; Caine is reduced to a pipe & black frame glasses Everyman; and Sellers' portrait looks like a Roman bust.

Documentary pictures of potato-nosed East Enders, including plenty of studio portraits of crime bosses the Kray brothers. Bailey won their respect for having come from the East End himself and achieving success. But, one photo shows the Kray twins with Bailey sitting in between, visibly hoping not to get bumped off.

Lots of images of the original super-model, Jean Shrimpton, mostly from Vogue layouts but also plenty from other photo dates as well. There is also a generous helping of photographs of model Penelope Tree, whose face Bailey aptly described as "an Egyptian Jiminy Cricket." We also see lots of other perfectly turned out Vogue models.

There are some exotic shots of Nepal and some snaps from his military service in Singapore, but the focus is in the main on early Sixties London. Though the book is not arranged chronologically, one can see his technical development, as he incorporates other photographers' ideas like askew framing, daylight flash, and tent lighting. There is a color section, but gorgeously inky b/w is the star here. Many of the subjects have been shorn of the celebrity that no doubt added to their portraits' impact, but that's no barrier to enjoying this big collection.

If your'e looking for a book to take a trip back to the late 50's through the 60's this is a good way to get there. The fashion and ad shots of Jean Shrimpton and other models of that era are a kick. Anyone into nostalgia of those times will find this book interesting, David Bailey seemed to be ahead of his time in his style and his photos are thought provoking as well as great pieces of art. He had some great friends (male and female) that became his subjects. I wish there was a book #2 to follow--this book made me want to see more of his work!

Bailey birthed the look and this book is chock a block full of it. It's a visual feast with very littly written clutter. A pity that there just wasn't a bit more...

I knew very little about MLK and the civil rights movement before reading this book. It was a very detailed account of MLK's involvement in civil rights and his personal life. From the late 50's to his death the author tells you practically everything about his life. Though it would be easy for an author to be bias toward or against King, I felt that Garrow did a good job of just telling the story and leaving conclusions to the reader.

Although not completed I already have the idea that it should be required reading for Seniors in High School and/or a Freshman College requirement. After all it is a most significant event of modern day history along with the civil war and both world wars. David Garrow simultaneously celebrates and condemns human nature by revealing the courage and strength of Dr. King and his followers even as his wife and daughter are attacked with fire bombs by the hateful white mobs. A very compelling beginning story of Rosa Parks... the injustices and inhumane treatment she suffered at the hands of a hate filled people...sets the stage for a work that could begin a lesson in tolerance and unity for our next generations. I unfortunately believe we are still condemned to live our hateful existence in America and the world until works like this can get the attention they deserve.

First of all, this isn't a biography for the weak-hearted. It's around 1,000 pages on long. Rather than bouncing from Montgomery to Birmingham to Selma, as if the Southern Civil Rights Movement carried itself entirely on momentum, this book explores the details and compromises that went into King's political maneuverings.

Garrow is also unafraid to discuss King's frailties, implicitly positing (and answering) the question: don't a persons public actions and deeds outweigh their private shortcomings? (yes)

This is not only the best book on King that exists, it may very well be the best book on the Southern Civil Rights Movement of the 60's that exists.

Now in an fully updated third edition, The Entrepreneur's Guide To Equity Compensation from the Foundation for Enterprise Development provides an excellent and highly recommended introduction to the hows, whys, and wherefores of employee ownership, as well as how empowered employees can help build a cutting-edge, proactive organization. Individual chapters address both individual-based and company-wide stock plans, savings plans that can hold employer stocks, crucial issues that can interfere with success, and much, much more. A recommended primer for any employer, for The Entrepreneur's Guide To Equity Compensation costs far less than what an unwise stock options decision would impose upon a corporate bottom line!

This excellent and clear explanation of approaches to equity plans, provides a guide to creating an employee ownership strategy. The book covers: stock grants; direct stock purchase programs; stock option plans; qualified employee stock purchase programs (ESPPs); employee stock ownership programs (ESOPs); 401(k) and other qualified retirement plans; nonqualified deferred compensation plans; stock appreciation rights and phantom plans; stock programs for American companies operating abroad; and the most suitable equity arrangement for various types of legal forms of companies. Explains the concept, pros and cons, and tax and cost implications. Viewing this work as a compensation consultant, I find it to be an outstanding reference, providing highly accessible explanations. Very highly recommended.

I have used the Entrepreneur's Guide for several years. It is an excellent tool - comprehensive yet easy to understand and logically organized. It presents a very complex area in a clear fashion that goes a long way to helping the interested person decide on a general approach to equity compensation that will fit their needs and help reach their goals for a very reasonable cost. I recommend it to anyone considering exploring an equity compensation strategy of any kind.

There exists a New Yorker review of this book (June 2,2003 issue). It is absolutely fascinating - the review, that is, not the book. It exposes the book as "pedestrian rehash that reads like one of the Victorian hagiographies". The book has ignored all the intervening research and accepted as fact Stanley's self-serving and now-discredited accounts. Most of the New Yorker review is about Stanley and Livingston themselves and chockful of realistic info about these fascinating and utterly dissimilar characters.

With an encompassing narrative, and detailed descriptions of people, circumstances, and places, "Into Africa" is a worthy read for simple entertainment. Learning about Livingstone and Stanley, was engrossing, and learning about their repective journeys through Africa was harrowing and at times defied belief. If ever anyone needed an example of pure determination and pursuit of a goal, and then accomplishment, this book delivers. Showing an emotional aspect, Mr. Dugard demonstrates that attaining a near impossible goal can also result in more intangible rewards, such as Stanley's maturation through his ordeal in Africa to find Dr Livingstone. If you never think history can be exciting, read this book and you will be disabused of that notion. Warring tribes, hostile natives, opportunistic chieftans, Arab slavers, constant disease and inummerable parasites (non-human), all combine to form a formidable obstacle for these intrepid adventurers.

I picked up this book after reading a glowing review of it by Bill Bryson. I'm so glad I did. It's a true page turner. The research is original and powerful and balanced, documenting the obstacles and horrors encountered by Stanley and Livingstone. I was amazed that a book packed with that much information could be such a riveting read. As one who has traveled extensively in Africa, I also thought this book captured the epic sprawl of that wonderful continent (and made me realize how brave Stanley and Livingstone were to venture in alone). This is a story I thought I knew, but realized that I knew very little about until reading Dugard's book.